


The Conundrum gets more complicated

by TheGoldenCity



Series: Spencer and Billy are dumb as fuck [3]
Category: Dude That's My Ghost!
Genre: M/M, OR IS IT??, One-Sided Attraction, Spencer is Y E A R N I N G, Spencer is also 17
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:40:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24075340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGoldenCity/pseuds/TheGoldenCity
Summary: Things have just been getting worse for Spencer Wright when it comes to dealing with his very inconvenient crush on one certain undead pop-star.
Relationships: Billy Joe Cobra/Spencer Wright
Series: Spencer and Billy are dumb as fuck [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1483682
Comments: 5
Kudos: 66





	The Conundrum gets more complicated

**Author's Note:**

> Suuup. So Corona-Virus has the country on lockdown so what better time to write some more ectofeature. Not gonna lie this installment is a mess but it's probably needed so we have at least a little Will They in the Will They Won't They. (Spoiler Alert - They will. Hard. eventually.)

“Broseph, you ok there?”

What an interesting question. Was Spencer ok? He certainly didn’t _feel_ ok if that counted for anything. Actually, he felt pretty shitty in all honesty. But, he supposed, intense personal guilt and a severe lack of sleep would do that to people. 

He scrubbed his face and reached out for the still piping hot coffee on the dining table. He missed, and stared blankly at the empty space in his palm. “Yeah dude, just peachy.” Spencer replied finally, choosing to ignore Billy’s patented _‘I’m not doing anything’_ whistle as he nudged the travel mug over an inch so Spencer could actually grab it.

“Sure.” Billy said, nodding sagely as he stepped back and swung himself back onto the kitchen counter. “Like, I’m sure you are Bro. You seem like… Totally on the level.”

Spencer grimaced and swallowed the bitter mouthful. “Is that sarcasm?” he croaked.

Billy tilted his head, and in doing so his head passed in front of the morning light blearing through the kitchen window. Through the ecto the sunlight seemed to refract like it was passing through water, dimming and shimmering out into a washed-out sweep of pastel blues and greens.

It was moments like these that were just kicking Spencer while he was down. 

In the light Billy was glowing, and in a different way to his usual phantom luminescence. It was smoother, and warmer, like the light was filling the ghost up from head to toe. He just looked soft. Soft eyes crinkled in concern, lips twitched down and bangs flopping forward from the angle of his head as he peered across the table at Spencer. 

Spencer shook out his head and dropped his head to scratch at the back of his neck. “What.” 

Billy shifted and the intense light was back again. “Didn’t say a word, Bro.”

“Spencer! Spencer honey, you down here?”

He dropped his forehead to the table completely. “Yeah mom, I’m in the kitchen.”

There were quick high energy footsteps as his mother almost skipped around the house. “Oh, there you…” She paused and Spencer couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Oh, sweetie.” 

Spencer could almost see her face, lips pursed in motherly concern as he felt her hands rest gently on his shoulders and start squeezing. “You ok Hon? You don’t look like you’re doing too flash, huh?” She cooed. “Did we wake you?”

It was an easy lie, but he couldn’t take it. “Nah, you’re fine Mom… I think my body’s still in school mode.”

Jane hummed and patted him lightly twice on the back before bustling over to the cabinets. “Well since you’re up the offers still on the table, we have spare room in the car and I know it would mean the world to Jess.”

Spencer snorted. “Mom. She told me, to my face mind you, that if I came she would break my knee-caps.”

“Oh, she doesn’t mean that she loves her big brother really.” Assorted nuts, chips, and muesli bars now safely stowed in the space defying void of Jane’s bag she turned back to Spencer, who had managed to at least rise again to a somewhat upright position. “I just hate leaving you here alone. And this Karate competition really isn’t that far away, its only a short little 9-hour drive.” She paused as she swung open the fridge door, glancing back at her son. “Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

Billy floated up to hover over the top of Jane’s head, eyes wide. “Don’t you dare Broseph Stalin, you know the Cobra doesn’t do long haul driving.”

Spencer smiled crookedly, squinting slightly in the hopes of looking somehow more tired. “Come on Mom. Do I look in any state to go anywhere? I’ll be fine at home. Its only 5 days.”

Three chilled water bottles balanced in one hand she pursed her lips in worry. “If you’re sure. We’re only a phone call away if you need us.”

“I’m sure.” He lifted his coffee to his lips and discretely rolled his eyes at Billy as his mom turned her back.

“Don’t coddle the boy Jane.” The pat on Spencer’s back was hard enough to almost cause him to spit his coffee out, lurching forward and trying to keep from choking. “He’s the man of the house this week, Isn’t that right Spencer?”

He coughed, wondering exactly how bad coffee was for your lungs and turned his head upwards towards his Dad, who was beaming like Spencer was about to be sworn in as the next US president as opposed to just spending less than a week home alone. “Uh yeah. I guess.”

It wasn’t like he was going to be alone really anyway, not with Billy around. The ghost was currently phasing his head and arms through his Dad's suitcase and presumably rummaging through his stuff for whatever reason. 

For the first time in a long time, Spencer caught himself wishing the ghost would just leave him alone. When most people went through inconvenient bouts of horniness for their close friends presumably they weren’t surrounded by them 24 hours a day and therefore didn’t have to deal with the constant guilt of using them as unwitting masturbation material. Just a few days alone to deal with it would have been enough, but there was no way Spencer was going to get that with the way he and Billy had been attached at the hip for the past three years. 

Spencer instantly felt guilty, face twisting into a fake smile as Billy popped his head out of the suitcase and shook his hair out. “Nothing interesting there, your parental units really are snoozeville USA.” Of course they had been attached at the hip for three years, Billy was his best friend. And now all of a sudden because Spencer couldn’t control his libido he was being a total tool-bag to that said best friend. His stomach turned over on itself.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Billy shot up, flitting over to the back wall of the Kitchen. “Uh-oh, Code Red Sammo Kam-Bro!”

Jess dropped her bag on the floor with a heavy thunk, eyes narrowed to vicious green slits. “I thought I told you if you came I would brea-“

“Break my knee caps.” Spencer cut her off, waving his hand loosely around. “Yeah I know, and I’m not, don’t worry. You know I don’t care about your dumb tournament.”

His sister sneered at him, hands going directly to her hips. “Whatever. You look like shi-”

“Jessica, Spencer…” Jane warned, throwing a pointed look over her shoulder as she passed her bag and the car keys to Hugh. “Watch the language please.”

Spencer rolled his eyes, slumping back in his seat as Jessica flounced past him. Ever since Jess had passed the threshold into being a teenager she’d gone from kind of unbearable to absolutely insufferable, and not just because of the flourishing anger issues. “And this competition is very important to Jess, it’s her first one out of state.” Jess stepped in close to their mom and smiled smugly as Jane wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 

“Yeah, only because she got a perma-ban from California competitions last year.” Spencer snarked, getting a kick out of how her hackles immediately went up. “Or did we just forget how she knocked that kid unconscious?”

“That punk had it coming!” She screeched, flinging herself forward and getting stopped only by Jane clamping down on her shoulder.

Jane shot him another look, and twisted Jess around gently to face her. “But we learned our lesson, didn’t we? And we’ve been working on our temper?”

Jess scowled, but obediently closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. “Yeah.” She muttered.

“Good job. Why don’t you take your bag out to Dad and listen to your whale songs.” 

Billy glanced over to spencer and raised an eyebrow. “Whale songs? Really?” Jess picked up her bag and with a quick middle finger to Spencer behind their Mom’s back stormed out into the hall after their Dad. “I get the feeling that’s not working.”

“I wish you wouldn’t wind her up so much.” Jane sighed. “She looks up to her big brother you know?”

Spencer snorted and got up, picking his coffee cup off the table as he did. “That’s the biggest lie I’ve heard in a long time.” This time Spencer got the patented Jane Wright one armed hug as he walked with her out to the front door, only half listening as she rattled off emergency numbers and reminded him of the frozen meals packed away in the freezer. 

The sky was a faded pastel blue, the remnants of the sunrise still glossy on the horizon line and Spencer squinted his eyes against the morning sun breaking over the rooftops. It sounded like his mom was wrapping up, reminding him of the code on the alarm system. “yeah, yeah - And call if anything goes wrong.” Spencer grinned, raising a hand to block out the sun just in time to see Jan crack a wry smile and pull him into a full hug.

“And no Jello in the pool.” She laughed, pulling away and tapping him lightly on the nose. 

Spencer shrugged her off with a laugh. “Come on, it happened one time when I was 14.” 

He deliberately chose not to mention who was actually to blame and out of the corner of his eye he saw Billy turn on a dime and rush back into the house, whistling something that was probably supposed to make him seem like that had been his plan the whole time. 

“Right on team,” Hugh called, tossing the keys up and catching them with a dramatic flourish. “Let’s rock and roll.”

Spencer lifted his hand in a wave and in response, his Dad lowered his dirty dogs down onto the tip of his nose and Grinned. “You’ve got this right Spencer? No touching my babies?”

Between the green family wagon and finger guns, Spencer doubted his Dad could get any more fatherly than he was right now. “I promise not to touch your tools.” he groaned.

Jane had hustled herself into the front seat and started winding down her window as her Husband slid into the driver's seat. “We’ll see you soon honey.” She called, and Spencer wondered if she was trying to down out Jess complaining from the backseat when she did. “I love you!”

The car started rolling forward so Spencer cupped his hands around his mouth. “Love you too!” He yelled back, swapping into a wave as his Dad saluted him before peeling off down the driveway. 

The morning air was ever so slightly chilled but was pleasant none-the-less as Spencer sighed into his coffee and continued to wave until he saw the car turn away down the end of the street and out of sight. 

“Wahoo!” He turned just in time to catch the full-on shoulder check from Billy as he rammed into him and threw an arm over his shoulder. “It’s on Spence! Let the week of bro-hem commence!”  
The weight of Billy’s arm around his shoulder was heavy and cool, fingers brushing against Spencer's collar bone. As Billy flexed his hand they lightly grazed over the bared skin and Spencer sucked in a breath, heaving in the dizzying ozone scent that accompanied Billy everywhere he went. And like a particularly annoying Pavlov dog Spencer's heart lurched forward in his chest as his skin broke out in goosebumps. 

The ghost turned and was again soaked through with sunlight as his eyes crinkled up and lips coiled into a grin. His face was so close, Spencer could count his individual eyelashes as he blinked. “What do you wanna do first, huh?” The feeling of his breath hitting his skin was just throwing kindling on the low burning fire somewhere inside of Spencer, dragging a reminder about how that breath had felt concentrated over his lips during that fateful kiss to the very forefront of his rapidly spiraling mind.

Spencer's gut twisted into a knot as he shoved Billy’s arm off his shoulder. God, how was it fair? There was Billy, completely oblivious and carelessly throwing himself into Spencers space like it wasn’t gasoline to a fire. “I’m going back to bed.” 

Billy’s face fell as his arm swung limply to his side and some vindictive part of Spencer was almost pleased when it did. “But Bro-diggity…” Billy whined and Spencer was once again hit with that sudden guilt that had been rattling around in his head for the past few weeks. 

Jesus what the fuck was wrong with him. He was lashing out like a grade-a asshole and of course Billy wouldn’t know why, it wasn’t even really his fault. But how the fuck was Spencer supposed to say, _“Hey, do you mind not touching me so much because it very quickly triggers the part of my brain that I use when I jack off thinking about you? Oh yeah, by the way, I’ve done that a lot so enjoy that bombshell that just eviscerated our friendship.”_

And that was the crux of the issue wasn’t it? The fact that Spencer had utterly railroaded the argument that he cared about maintaining the sanctity of their friendship at all. Because here was the thing, he couldn’t help it if he was attracted to Billy and his subconscious chose to torment him with frisky dreams starring the ghost. It was, however, a whole other can of worms to have actively fantasized about him without regard for Billy’s feelings on the matter and to _then_ let that turn him into a jerk. 

After the first time, when he had come back to his senses kneeling on the floor of the bathroom he had sworn it was a one-time thing. But it hadn’t been at all. It was just too hard to shut out all of the images his brain was all too happy to supply as soon as he got anywhere his dick. 

The second time he had been in the shower, teeth pressed into his arm as he braced himself against the wall, hoping the water was loud enough to drown out his furious panting. That was when Billy had rapped furiously against the door, yelling _“Hurry up dude! You better come or I’m starting the movie without you!”_ That unfortunate wording had struck like lightning to his bones and he had burst with a sob wrenched from his throat at the thought of Billy crowding against him and whispering dirty talk into his ear. 

The third time he’d been on a time crunch, desperate to finish before Billy and Rajeev made it back to his place after their jeans shopping trip. And he’d been so nervous about getting caught he’d allowed himself to indulge in an old dream where Billy had woken Spencer up with his hand palming him firmly through the sheets. He’d come so hard it left him absolutely boneless and whimpering through the aftershocks. 

Once again, after that, he had stopped counting. 

Spencer spun around and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I’m just super tired.” He offered gently, getting a double hit of guilt as Billy offered a weak smile and went to wave him off. Desperate to fix it he blurted out, “How about after I wake up we play Zombie Crombie 2? We’ve only just started the 2-player campaign.”

The smile he got then was genuine, Billy throwing up and arm in celebration and whooping loudly. “Hell yeah, Lara Broft! I’ve been fiending hard for some zombie slaying action!” He flipped up through the air and mimed shooting down towards the ground. “Stay back you undead vermin!” he sneered playfully. 

Spencer cracked a grin and shot up at the ghost with his own imaginary guns. “Sweet. I’ll see you soon dude.”

“Rest easy player two, I’ll keep the biters off your trail.” Billy called, continuing to make gun noises with his mouth and run a commentary as Spencer fled up the stairs back to his room. 

Lying on his bed, eyes trained on the ceiling and hands clenched together over his every tightening stomach Spencer couldn’t help but notice how he just felt worse. The guilt had intensified and now with his brain replaying a constant loop of _“So what do you wanna do first?”_ he was feeling more and more like not only the worst friend imaginable but also a huge creep. 

He groaned, rolling over and burying his face into his pillow. In the darkness all he could see was the soft curve of Billy’s smile and the way it had caused his eyes had turn up in the corners, all simmering mischief and fondness. It made him ache so acutely somewhere in behind his ribs he had to clutch at his chest. 

And like that he fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

When he woke up only a couple of hours had passed, the sun now peering intently through his window and he rolled over with a deep groan. Spencer flung his arm over his eyes and breathed deeply. He wasn’t sure if he really felt more rested, but the bone-deep tiredness has at least somewhat abated. Hopefully, it would be enough to take the harsh edge off his emotions and let him swallow the gnawing guilt a little easier. Besides, if he took the bean bag instead of the couch he could at least get some physical distance, and maybe concentrating on killing hoards of the undead would be a good distraction. 

Feeling a little better Spencer rolled off the bed and stood into a laborious stretch that seemed to pull hard at every sinew of his muscle. 

Billy wasn’t anywhere in the room, which Spencer supposed he expected, but he wasn’t in the kitchen or living room either. Checking his phone for missed texts he wandered outside onto the patio and peered out at the pool. Nothing missed aside from a dumb meme Rajeev had sent him and no Ghost out here either. The three major places ticked off, and the garden cleared after he looked out over the railing and scanned the grass below Spencer went back inside, shoving his phone into his pocket and shutting the sliding door behind him. “Billy?”

There was no reply, and the next few tries got the same response. Chewing his bottom lip spencer pulled his phone out again and sent a quick text.

_Where r u?_

No reply. Spencer could feel himself starting to worry, a dark clawing feeling right up his spine. He hadn’t been that much of a tool right? Besides Billy had seemed super amped to play video games so surely that wasn’t it. He tried calling the Ghost and just got the obnoxious voice mail instead. 

It was around the point Spencer was checking the freezer that he really started to panic. And to think he’d been worried he was going to push his best friend away by being a creep, turns out he should have worried more about being a huge tool-shed. The worst part was Spencer knew he would totally deserve it if Billy had decided to give him the cold shoulder given how snappish he’d been recently. 

He walked back out into the hallway, planning on heading back up to his room, just in case he had missed the Ghost, and Billy was just waiting for him up there when his gaze passed over the thick shutter doors at the end of the hallway and he felt a surge of relief well up. Maybe Billy just wasn’t answering because he couldn’t hear him?

The recording room was 100% soundproofed both inside and out, a fact Billy had gloated about on many an occasion, claiming that focus was one of the key ingredients to a Cobra smash hit. But for the amount of time Spencer had found him in there just playing games or messing around he somehow doubted that was true at all. 

The door opened to the rigorous, near manic strumming of a guitar and Spencer reeled back at the sudden onslaught of noise. Billy had set himself up on one of the rolling chairs, legs up on the sound desk and a mic positioned somewhere between the guitar and his mouth. The old honey-coloured guitar was slung easily across his lap. Billy canted head up towards the ceiling and clamped his hand down on the strings of the guitar to tamp the sound. Spencer slipped inside, ready to announce his presence when Billy let out a deep sigh and reached out to the sound desk and pressed sharply down on a button. 

“Alright, Take three of as yet untitled song.” Billy muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. 

Even from the doorway and in profile Spencer could see the way Billy’s eyebrows were drawn in concentration, mouth fixed in a firm line. It was an unusual look for him and it put Spencer in a bit of an odd position. Surely it would be rude to interrupt? Especially if he had just started a recording. 

Billy’s hands started moving, plucking in a quick rhythm as he strummed, fingers on his other hand flitting back and forth on the fretboard as he started a quick folky tune. It was soft and somehow pensive in its sound and Spencer could see Billy’s foot tapping back and forth as he kept time for the fluttering melody. 

He saw Billy swallow, head craning forward in a gentle bow and his eyes slipped closed. “I’ve got something on my mind,” He sang, voice heavy with something Spencer couldn’t place “but I am full of hesitation… I don’t mean to seem unkind, but I’m in a no-win situation.”

The key shifted slightly, Billy’s hands moving fluidly from one motion to the next as he leaned back away from the mic, voice climbing smoothly in volume towards a small crescendo. “and though it’s all I want to say, to give it all away, but it ain’t happening.”

The hairs on the back of Spencer's neck were starting to rise. He wasn’t supposed to be here. This was something private and he’d unwittingly stumbled in on it. The expression on Billy’s face was pulled tight by a bitter smile as he rose in volume again. “I just want to brag, to let the cat out of the bag, but it ain’t right…”

Oh hell. The words were starting to settle in alongside the guilt and begin rattling around and Spencer could feel his heart starting to race. What was this song? What did it mean? Billy was still focused on his guitar, completely oblivious as he continued the recording. Oblivious to Spencer just sticking his nose in and despite reading the room was continuing to stand there like an emotionally stunted creep. He had to leave. 

That was when Spencer reached out for the doorway and missed, hand sliding uselessly as he stumbled awkwardly to the side and just managed to catch himself before he went sprawling. Not that it would have mattered much considering the damage was already done. There was a discordant sound and Billy’s fingers jolted across the strings and he sprung out of the chair, slamming down hard on the record button on the panel. 

“Spence?!” 

At the call of his name his stomach dropped into his shoes. On autopilot Spencer slowly righted himself, backing up against the doorway as he offered a guilty half-assed smile. Billy didn’t return it, eyes wide and almost frightened, hand still pressed firmly into the sound desk. 

“How-“ Billy paused, eyes dropping to his hand before snatching it back like it was burning. “How long have you been there?” 

He should have said something the moment he walked in here. “Not long.” Spencer stuttered, hands up in front of his chest almost in surrender. “I came in just before you started that recording and I figured it would have been rude to interrupt so I’m sorry-“

“No, no uh-“ they both paused, and Billy quickly shucked his guitar. “It’s no problem, I was just messing around with some stuff it’s not important.” It was his turn to offer a weak smile and he raised the guitar by the neck in some sort of shrug. “You just startled me, that’s all.”

He was lying. Billy might have been many things but a good liar was not one of them. “Billy I’m really, really sorry –“

The ghost's eyes widened and he stepped forward, eyes darting around as he searched for something. “No, look I said it's fine alright?” He finally just twisted around and placed the guitar precariously on the rolling chair. “Don’t worry about it Spence, ok? All good. We’re all good.” He laughed nervously and folded his arms. “Totally Gucci.”

“Yeah. Ok. Gucci.” Spencer echoed. 

The silence was awkward, and finally, Spencer ducked his head and scratched at the back of his neck. “I tried to call you but your phone wasn’t on.”

Billy’s mouth quirked up in confusion for a split second. “Oh? – OH!” He exclaimed, dragging it out of his pocket. “Sorry Broperator, my producer used to bite my head off if I didn’t turn it off in the studio.” He smiled sheepishly. “My bad dude.”

Spencer couldn’t help but laugh. “Really? The Cobra listening to instructions from a producer?”

Billy snorted and waved a hand dismissively, floating half an inch off the ground as he did. “Oh that dude _wishes_ he could wrangle the Cobra.” He grinned, stretching out on his back and folding his hands behind his head. “The BJC is waaay too much of a wild-card.”

“Oh trust me, I know.” Spencer agreed.

Billy flipped around, eyes lighting up. “Now what were you saying earlier about Zombie Crombie 2?”

Spencer shrugged and leaned back against the wall, inspecting his nails. “Oh I don’t know… You sure you can handle it?” He taunted

“Hey! I totally busted your high score in the first one!” Billy darted over and out into the hall. “I should be the one asking you that question Spendant.”

Spencer couldn’t help the grin, turning to follow the ghost as he called the elevator. “Ok, ok, we’ll just have to see whose carrying the team then won’t we?”

It was so easy to drop back into their natural banter like nothing had happened, and as Billy started running his mouth at a mile a minute, explaining exactly how hard he was planning on beating Spencer into the ground he couldn’t help but relax for the first time in a long time, tilting his head up to watch and nod along to the ghost’s monologue.

Maybe the guilt could just take a hike for a while and he could just hang out with his Bro instead. Sure there was still that weirdness that happened in the studio but that wasn’t important right now, and while Spencer could bet on his life that it would resurface to torment at some point, for now, it was fine. 

“Oh! And I’m using _Slaughter Shelly_ which automatically makes me automatically 99% more awesome.” Billy finished, flying out of the lift and over to the couch. “Did you remember to plug in the controllers?”

Spencer rolled his eyes. “First of all, _The Machine_ is the best character – get that straight. And second, of course I did Dilweed.”

Billy smirked and threw him his controller. “Can you even get anything straight anymore?”

Spencer had to lunge forward to catch it, which he hoped managed to hide the panicked flush starting to bloom on his face. “You know,” Billy continued, “Since you’re not and all?”

If memories could sucker punch Spencer had just felt it. Billy was still smirking, and the coil of his lips and the sharpness in his eyes drew Spencer's heart into his throat. “Haha uh… yeah, yeah I guess not.” Spencer choked out, pointedly ignoring the Ghost patting the spot next to him on the couch to slump into the bean-bag instead, praying like hell the heat he could feel rising in his face wasn’t visible on the outside yet. “I can still kill Zombies better than you though.”

Billy perked up again, rolling his neck on his shoulders and settling forward on his chair. “Oooh you’re so on David Browie.”

Just for a moment there he’d really believed his torment for the day was over. Hah. As if. And, not to kick a man when he was down, he still had 4 more days of non-stop Billy to deal with. Spencer couldn’t help the defeated sigh that escaped. 

And to think he’d thought he was screwed before.

**Author's Note:**

> So ngl I have no idea where to go from here but if you have a suggestion drop me a comment - it would be much appreciated. I'll probably write more anyway because at this point if they don't bang I'm just lazy.
> 
> Also here is the Song Billy is writing - https://youtu.be/eqVCUNzPYf0 - and for those of you wondering why this dude is actually Billy's voice actor so It was kind of too perfect really.


End file.
